


I'll meet you at the end of the world

by JulieVerne



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-16 13:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15438570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulieVerne/pseuds/JulieVerne
Summary: Season 5, episode 9 take...





	1. Chapter 1

They'd spent the night in the woods, a ridiculous game of chicken as Shaw played out her options, tried to ground herself in reality. Of all the times Shaw had shot herself in the head, of all the times Root had seen her do it, she’d never offered a counter offer. Never threatened her own life when Shaw threatened hers.

When Shaw finally put the gun down, Root rushed forward to hold her and surprisingly, Shaw let her, passively complacent in being held until her hands crept up to Root's waist. Neither of them said anything, but Root held onto Shaw as though she'd never let her go. 

\---

At dawn they met the others by the river, and the conversation turned to plans. 

“You need rest, Shaw,” Reese said.

“Come home with me. Take the day off, let Reese and Fusco follow your leads,” Root said. Shaw nodded, clearly exhausted.

\---

Root's apartment was in a different building than usual, on a different floor. For the first time, Root's apartment was different. It added plausibility, along with the Morse she'd heard, that she was in reality. When Root unlocked the door, her apartment was unfamiliar. Similar; single room studio, purple sheets on the bed.

Maybe it was a trick. Maybe it was another simulation.

But when Root shut the door behind them, Shaw stepped into Root, wrapped her arms around her from behind. Root turned slowly in Shaw's arms, careful not to jostle or startle her. Root brought her arms up around Shaw, hands gentle as she grasped the shorter woman through her thick coat. Shaw's forehead rested on Root's collarbone, breath filtering in and out through Root's shirt, warmed with Root's scent. Root waited for Shaw to let go, but she didn't. Just held tightly to Root like she was her anchor to reality.

Shaw pulled away a little, finally. Root pulled off her coat and jacket, carefully peeled Shaw out of hers too, dropped them on the floor and stepped back into Shaw, ignoring when moisture met her chest from Shaw's eyes. Shaw grasped Root again, didn't seem like she was going anywhere. Content just to hold the taller woman tight against her, to let Root hold her like she'd longed to hold her for years.

"We can do this all day, but you need a shower, so do I, and we should probably eat. We can come back to this" Root said finally. 

Shaw pulled away, swiped at her face. 

“Yeah,” she said, not really agreeing to anything. Just trying to gather her wits after Root's proximity.

“Breakfast or dinner?” Root asked, heading to the bathroom.

“Either,” Shaw said, collapsing onto the couch, exhausted from the mental gymnastics, from being on the run, from her escape. Root was right, she could use a shower, a meal, a long sleep. Some respite from Samaritan and the machine.

Root came out, rifled through a drawer, held out some clothes to Shaw.

“Go shower. Food will be ready when you are.” Shaw made no move to take the clothes, so Root put them in her lap, restrained herself from touching Shaw’s shoulder. Apart from the limpet act at the door, Shaw had been evasive, trying to keep herself away from Root, possibly to protect her still.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw is acting oddly but Root doesn't mind

Root looked at Shaw as she stood.

“Have you been bugged?” Root asked. “In any of the time Samaritan had you, do you know if they…” 

“They... put something behind my ear, in the simulations. Before the simulations? I can't feel it now though. Usually I just cut it out but… nothing there.”

“Government agencies have a thing for ears. I know Harry already swept you, but do you mind if I check?”

Shaw shrugged.

Root stepped forward, cupped Shaw's face, fingers probing behind Shaw's ears, moved to the base of her skull. She looked down at Shaw’s exhausted face, really here after all this time. Really alive and warm where Root’s fingers were touching her. Root looked down, watched as her hands cupped Shaw’s face on their own, watched her thumb brush over Shaw’s lips, watched as Shaw turned her face into Root’s hand, kissed her palm. Root leaned in, placed a soft and tentative closed-mouth kiss on Shaw's cheek, and when Shaw moved her face out of Root’s palm, her mouth, surprised when Shaw didn't object, too worried by the tense moment to take it further. She could feel Shaw’s exhaustion against her own lips, could feel how soft Shaw was, how soft her lips were, something she didn’t have time to notice last time.

When Root pulled away, uncertain, Shaw leaned forward and caught her mouth again, clumsy but adamant, lips open and damp. 

Root pulled back a little, still very close.

“Everything checks out?” Shaw asked cockily.

“Absolutely,” Root replied, and Shaw could taste the word in her own mouth. Shaw inhaled sharply, held her breath.

“Great. I gotta shower,” Shaw said brusquely, ashamed of her need for Root, she was already disoriented and unsure of her own reality again - but Root tasted exactly the same as she remembered - not from their last kiss but from her tainted memories. Not that she would turn down this opportunity, but… she was on edge, more so than usual. Usually she wasn’t suspicious until much, much later in the simulations.

-

Shaw stared at herself in the mirror, trying to make sense of the shape of her face. Wondering if Samaritan was just trying a new tactic.

If so, she could fall into old patterns. Have her time with Root, the only time that meant something. Go kill the rest, if they turned on her, then herself. But first…

First she could have Root again. For a day. Maybe more. The only peace she'd found in months had been with Root, in a false embrace - but that didn't mean she didn't feel it, couldn't remember the way Root had touched her.

There was a knock on the door. “Food's ready,” Root called.

Shaw shrugged on the shirt Root had given her, pulled on the underwear and pants Root had provided. All black. A bit tight, a bit long, but decent.

They smelled like Root, and Shaw raised the shirt to her face, breathed it in with her eyes closed.

She left her own clothes in the hamper, stepped back into the apartment.

 -

Root had made omelets and steak. Watched nervously as Shaw shoved them both in her mouth as fast as she could, no manners, just a hunger that Root was happy to sate.

“You're a damn good cook,” Shaw said finally through a mouthful of steak. Looked up at Root watching her. “You eating?”

Root sat down, took an omelette from the serving plate, dug at it with her fork, still watching Shaw.

“You got my message,” Root said finally.

“Four alarm fire? Yeah. Gave me hope. Got me out of there.” 

“Good,” Root said, turning back to her food. “I was coming for you. The Machine... Didn't want to tell me where you were. Thought it was too dangerous.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. But while we're here, please let me take care of you,” Root said earnestly. Shaw looked up. Ordinarily she would have rolled her eyes but instead she nodded.

 -

Shaw took her plate to the kitchen, rinsed it, dropped it in the dishwasher. She waited with thinly veiled impatience as Root finished her meal and packed away the leftovers, ran the dishwasher, watched her, hands resting on the kitchen counter behind her. Root stepped into her when she was done, looked down at Shaw.

“Now, where were we?”

Shaw's arms came up of their own accord, and she could feel her chest heaving as she pulled Root into her, Root braced herself on the counter behind Shaw for a moment, then rested her hands on Shaw's back. It felt like Shaw was... crying, but Shaw didn't cry. Even if she thought this was a simulation, Root didn’t think Shaw would cry, much less so if she thought it was real. It spoke to how much Shaw had been through, that she had let her defenses down this much. Shaw had been tortured before, Root knew. And before today, Root would never have been able to even imagine Shaw crying. Emotions other than anger were foreign to Shaw, yet here she was showing affection and… sorrow, all in the space of an hour.

“I'm here,” she said finally. “I'm really here, I promise.” Shaw pulled back far enough away to look at Root, then, hands on the lapel of Root's shirt she pulled her in, planted a kiss on her surprised mouth, face wet with tears, kiss just as unexpected and haphazard as the last one. Shaw dropped her head back to Root's chest, sobbed against her.

“Sorry,” she finally mumbled, muffled against Root's chest. “Some sort of physiological response. Just something my body seems to be doing. Something I seem to have trouble making it not do right now.”

“No apologies,” Root said, pulling Shaw tighter against her, glad that Shaw wasn't watching the deluge from her own face. Root's hands wandered Shaw's back, ran over the shirt she'd provided, feeling the warmth of Shaw in her arms, like she'd wanted for so long, still confused as to why Shaw was allowing this, still wondering why Shaw was here. Why Shaw had let her take her home, unaware of that part of all the simulations, unaware that this was the pattern of Shaw's life now. Aware, though, that the mental strain had caught up with Shaw, was making a mess of her, and that she might not be able to discern reality from the simulations of the past.

Shaw swiped at her face, pulled away finally.

Shaw looked exhausted. Root cupped Shaw's face, wiped away the rest of the tears. Leaned in and kissed Shaw gently, so gently, like she was afraid she’d set off another crying fit. Like Shaw was something fragile. And Shaw, slowly, hesitantly, kissed back, so softly that Root melted against her. The hand not on Shaw's face grasped for Shaw's hip, found it, wrapped around it as Root forgot how to balance, pressed against Shaw.

Shaw pulled away first, set her face against Root's chest again. 

“You're exhausted. No wonder you're…” Root was going to say ‘compliant’, but thought better of it. “You're all worn out. Come on, get to bed.”

“You were up all night too,” Shaw pointed out.

“I have errands,” Root said nervously.

“No. Finch told you to stay with me. You need your rest too.”

Root nodded. “I'll shower and join you. Lie down, Sameen.” Root guided Shaw to the bed, lifted the covers, settled her under them. Ran her hands over Shaw over the blankets. Looked at her like she was something precious. 

“Sleep if you can. I won't be long.” Root said. She hesitated, then kissed Shaw on the forehead. Shaw gave a contented sigh and rolled onto her side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you're liking it. Canada is amazing. So many peach flavours things, but I am yet to see a beaver.  
> Heh, beaver.


	3. A careless man's careful daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter...  
> Shaw can sleep at night

Shaw could hear a conversation from the bathroom, over the water. Wondered if she was talking to the machine or the boys.

In all the simulations, it was always Root who took care of her, Root who never stopped looking for her. And Shaw had never minded. If Samaritan was worse at its job, if it had paired her with Reese or Fusco instead… it would still be a relief to be here with Root now.

Shaw watched as Root came into the room, loose pyjamas, towelling her hair. Root threw the towel on the back of a chair, slid under the covers next to Shaw, surprised when Shaw didn't object.

“Did we do this before?” Root asked quietly, rolling on her side to face Shaw.  
Shaw swallowed, suddenly shy in front of the woman she'd been with so many times. Root continued. “You're acting like you expected me to join you. I was expecting you to object.”

“Yeah, well, got some perspective.” Root moved closer, rested her head on Shaw's shoulder, pressed herself against the shorter woman. 

“Did we do anything else, all those simulations?” Root asked as Shaw's hand found her hip, pulled Root closer. “You seem comfortable with me now. You weren't before.”

“Samaritan was very... kind to the avatar of you. The only kindness I’ve known in all this time came from you, or a facsimile thereof. This is familiar.”

“This is new, for me. Sorry for the questions.”

“I don't mind. Makes it more real. And that you're... restrained. Not... pushing this.”

“Pushing what?”

“You have me in your bed,” Shaw pointed out. “And you haven’t made a move.”

“You’re exhausted and just tried to kill yourself,” Root retorted. “I know better than to take advantage of someone vulnerable.”

Shaw tipped Root's face back, kissed her gently.

“And that’s why I come home with you, every time.” Shaw wrapped an arm around Root, pulled her closer and allowed herself to drift off to sleep, sure she was safe for the moment. Until the next flash, seizure, simulation. They’d leave her be until they were sure she would or would not lead them to The Machine.

\--

Shaw bolted upright, hand reaching for a weapon Root had locked up in her gunsafe a few hours ago. Root blinked awake quickly, not used to a warm body next to her in bed. She looked up at Shaw.

“If I touch you, will it make it better or worse?” Root asked, and Shaw turned a vacant stare at her.

“Better,” Shaw said eventually, and Root reached a slow hand toward Shaw’s bicep.

“If you think this is just another simulation, why didn’t you end it early? You had the gun pointed at your head.”

“You hadn’t bedded me yet. No point in ending it early if I don’t…” Shaw trailed off, realising she’d revealed too much.

“You… we…?” Root asked incredulously. Wondering if this was why Shaw had been so compliant in coming home from her, realising this was why she was so willing to kiss Root.

“Seven thousand times you bedded me,” Shaw said finally. “Seven thousand times I was willing. More than willing.”

Root's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she had to compose herself slowly.

“You... had sex with me every time you found me. Over seven thousand times?”

“Well, yeah,” Shaw shrugged, as though there had been no other option. “You started it.”

“You were happy to see me?” Root asked. Shaw nodded, ran her hand through Root’s hair.

“Always happy to see you, whether or not you’re really there.”

“Well…” Root trailed off.

“Well what?” Shaw asked.

“Well... was it any good? Was I any good?” Root asked, hoping Shaw wouldn’t notice her blushing in the dim light.

“Wouldna done it that many times if it wasn’t pretty damn good,” Shaw said smugly.

“And these simulations... they were real to you?”

“Yeah.”

“So…” Root tugged up the front of her shirt, exposed a scar over her ribs. “You saw this, right?”

“Yeah. I know it's there. I've touched it.”

“You've never seen this before,” Root said seriously.

“I've seen it.” Shaw ran her tongue over her lips as she looked at Root and Root let her shirt’s hem go, suddenly breathless.

“It's almost not fair,” Root said contemplating and compiling the new data.

“What?” Shaw asked.

“You have… those memories, time you think you spent with me. You probably remember how I feel. And I've got nothing. Just one frenzied kiss before you ran off.”

Shaw blushed. She could remember how Root’s skin had felt, had tasted.

“It was a living nightmare, other than that. Everything other than that sucked.”

“And now?”

“And now? This is enough.”

“Not for me. I'm seven thousand behind you. This is new for me.”

“You told me to rest,” Shaw said pointedly, and for the first time out of all the simulations she was able to fall back asleep without engaging with a worried Root.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a beaver! They're massive, I thought it was a feral dog but it was a beaver and it was sunning itself on a log for ages.  
> Very cool. Made it out of the Rockies in one piece, repelled down a scree cliff, popped my hip out twice so far this trip/month but all is well. I went to dyke march and pride and waterfalls and Canada is just awesome guys. I missed it so much.


	4. I'll meet you in the unknown

Root hadn't expected Shaw to be gentle, but she woke up later, felt Shaw's fingers trailing over her back. She sighed, rolled onto her side. Shaw's hand followed her movement, ended up on Root's hip.

“You're being nice to me,” Root said, teasing. Shaw's fingers reached up to trace Root's cheekbones, cup her face, run over the scar behind Root's ear. Root watched her curiously. Seeing this side of Shaw was like... unlocking a secret level of a video game that hadn't been completed, ghost sprites in the background and no clear path to take. Shaw leaned in, kissed Root softly.

Root trailed her fingers over Shaw's collarbone, drifted up to her face to trail those cheekbones, that nose, those eyebrows. Drifted back down to Shaw's chest, ran down her sternum. Shaw just watched her, breath catching where Root touched something sensitive.

“You'd let me do anything I wanted to you, wouldn't you?” Root asked in wonder.

“I've been through everything you wanted to do. Yeah. Anything. There's nothing you've done to me that I won't enjoy,” Shaw said, comfortable on her side with Root this close to her. Root had expected her to be more active, more aggressive. But this… Shaw allowing Root to be gentle with her, still obviously exhausted… made Root feel a little like she was taking advantage of Shaw's fragile mental state, her exhausted physical state.

“How do you know I haven't turned, that I'm not working for Samaritan?”

“Because you love The Machine. Almost as much as you love me.” Shaw said bluntly, and Root looked at her then, the freckles that played across her skin when Root was this close. She felt caught out, but Shaw was so matter of fact about knowing that Root loved her. That Root loved her more than she loved The Machine. "And because you're not really here. Neither am I. Samaritan is just being more inventive with their simulations.

“Okay, two things wrong with your theory.” Root said as she thought thing over. “One, you have me considerably undressed in bed and we're just talking. That doesn't sound like something Samaritan would put up with, from what you're saying. Simulation Root would have already had her way with you.”

“And two?” Shaw asked, curious.

“Look at your hand,” Root said pointedly.

Shaw looked down to where her hand rested on the curve of Root's hip, thumb running over the front of her hipbone.

“So?” Shaw asked, unable to see Root’s point.

“What's it doing,” Root asked, curious to how Shaw would interpret it.

“Touching you?”

“Well yes. But your thumb.”

“Stroking? I don't know.”

“And why is it doing that?” Root asked pointedly.

“I don't know,” Shaw said again.

Root propped her cheek on her hand. “In neurotypical people that would be a sign of affection,” she said matter of factly. “I don't know what you perceive it as, or what you think it   
means, but the message I'm receiving is surprisingly affectionate.”

Shaw kept watching her hand. Root was right. It's the way she would absentmindedly pet Bear when he was seated at her feet. Shaw hadn't been in control when she'd shot any of the others; the things had happened as Shaw watched, someone else in control of her body as she watched. But with Root, she'd never felt the push behind her ear. Never felt the pressure behind her eyes. She'd always, always been willing.

“Maybe I'm just getting you warmed up?”

“Oh, I'm warm already. Like a four alarm fire in an oil refinery.”

“You put the brakes on before?”

“You needed your rest. And I like to watch you sleep, curled up like some wild animal that trusts me enough to sleep even though I'm nearby.”

“Samantha,” Shaw breathed, uncertain as to how Root would take the use of her real name. Shaw had never tried it, but it felt nice in her mouth, and nice now in the air between them.

Root gave Shaw a long, considering look.

“Yes, Sameen?” She said finally.

“I know who you are.”

“And who am I?”

Shaw couldn't answer, just ran her fingers over Root's cheek as a response.

“Someone I tolerate,” she said finally.

Root understood. Shaw still thought it was a simulation. Was holding out for the feelings of someone she wasn't even sure was real. 

“And you want me to do what I want to you?” Root asked curiously, picking up the conversation from before.

“It's the only part of this cycle that doesn't suck.” Shaw said, smiling. “Later, I'll die. But for now... I have everything I could want.” Shaw's fingers were light on Root's skin, so gentle. It made sense. If Shaw thought this wasn't real, she could afford to be gentle, to break down, knowing Root would never know. Knowing no one would ever know, save her captors. Root kissed her, all of her time spent alone waiting behind her teeth, all her expectations and disappointments, all her longing.

Root tugged at Shaw's shirt, and Shaw pulled it off for her. Root bit her lip as she traced her fingers over Shaw's bare skin, pulled her own shirt off too.

Then she pressed herself against Shaw, breath hitching as their torsos met, rested her head on the pillow next to Shaw's, fingers exploring Shaw's ribcage.

“Anything else can wait. You need your rest, sweetie.” Root ran her fingers over Shaw's face and Shaw grabbed her wrist, kissed those fingers. Noted the black fingernails.

“You always want me,” Shaw said, sounding confused, and a little disappointed. She let go of Root's hand, and almost of its own accord it ran through Shaw's hair, cradled her skull.

“I always do,” Root agreed. “But not at the detriment to your health. This is enough, for now. And when we wake up, in a few hours…” Root freed her hand, slid it down Shaw's chest to cup a breast, breath catching at the softness she hadn't expected. “We can make up for lost time. If you want to.” 

Shaw raised her hand from under the covers, let her fingers trail through Root's hair. “You're amazing,” she said quietly. “Every single time, I wonder how I managed to hold out so long, when you were so obviously willing. I think I was trying to protect you. But this… this isn't real, and if I have to go through this again, I want the only part that makes any of this worth it.”

“And you'll have it. After you sleep. You're safe here, sleep.”

**Author's Note:**

> Short hiatus on 4 alarm due to travelling. This was in my google docs with 5k words so... not update-update?  
> Let me know if you enjoyed it, will be updating when I can. Or let me know if I'm putting too much stock in this and can take a break for a few more weeks.  
> I displaced some ribs yelling 'nuit danger' at moose on the road. So Canada is fun.


End file.
